Le Toux Healthy, Teammates Happy

Sebastien Le Toux politely asked for a couple of
extra minutes before settling at his locker.

He probably needed longer than that.

You see, Le Toux had ice wrapped around his
elbow, both knees and both ankles. His feet looked a bit swollen and you
could tell he was completely spent after the Union’s riveting 1-1 tie
against FC Dallas last Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

“Yeah, I’m a little tired and beat up, but I feel
good because I gave it everything I’ve got,” Le Toux said. “I didn’t
want to miss this game after missing the last two with the ankle injury.
I didn’t want to come back too soon. I have all this ice, but it’s to
protect me. I was 100 percent for this game and that’s what I wanted.”

Le Toux leads the Union with four goals,
including all three against D.C. United in the home-opening 3-2 win on
April 10 at Lincoln Financial Field. Since then, it's been a bit of a
frustrating time for Le Toux due to losses on the road and an injury
sustained on April 27 against New York.

To be back on the field with his teammates was as
positive for him as it was for the club as a whole.

“These guys have been working so hard every day,”
Le Toux said. “I didn’t want to come back at 90 percent. I wanted to be
at full strength. Out there on the field, it felt great to be running
with them and trying to help us win. I didn’t think about my knee. It’s a
little sore now, and the ice is part of a normal routine postgame.”

Having Le Toux back in the lineup was a boost to
his teammates. Just ask them.

“You always want to be at full strength,”
midfielder Shea Salinas said. “Sebastien in the lineup is always going
to make us better. He has great energy and passion for the game and the
young players can see that.”

“In this league, you have to go 100 percent all
the time, and that’s how Sebastien plays,” said rookie forward Danny
Mwanga, who scored his first career goal against FC Dallas. “It’s pretty
contagious when you watch him practice and play.”

With slightly less than two weeks before the
Union’s next game at Houston on May 29, Le Toux will be able to get even
healthier.

“We have been playing better soccer lately,” Le
Toux said. “We need to go out and put together a complete game on the
road and come away with three points.”